


Icterine.

by DanDog



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Adult Mabel Pines, Age of Consent, Better Than Canon, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Fluff, Fluff, Grunkle Ford and Mabel Pines Bonding, Human Bill Cipher, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Minor Stanford Pines/Stanley Pines, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 20:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8071156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanDog/pseuds/DanDog
Summary: Demons.Scary, right?That's what Dipper Pines thought when he arrived as an adult back in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Scary and stupid, he'd told his sister.Until, of course..Something changes.





	1. Limerence.

**Author's Note:**

> So, BillDip.  
> Why not, at this point? This fic will most likely be three chapters or two, depending on the feedback and inspiration I have.
> 
> Also, Weirdmageddon never happened.  
> They don't know Bill Cipher.
> 
>  
> 
> As always, grammar mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy..?

Quiet.

It was so quiet.

 

Not even the crickets dared to chirp on the moonless night. The wind held its breath, and even the stars buzzed in a hushed tone.

 

Then, there was a flash across the sky. Still, no sound was heard throughout the forest of Gravity Falls. 

As the flash dimmed, the night returned to its shadowy state.

However, deeper in the forest, there glowed a bright figure.

Said figure sat up, unsure what it was doing here. It opened its mouth as if to speak, but decided not to try.

It looked at the river, noticing a yellow glow reflecting back at it.

It leaned forward curiously, noting the glowing boy's face that reflected back. 

I'm human..?

It brought up a hand to touch its face, cautious now.

I'm a boy..

Before he could think more of it though, the sun began its leisurely pace of crawling back up in the horizon.

As soon as the light hit him, the boy's yellow glow dimmed until it was replaced by white skin and blonde hair. He noticed a pair of black pants on his legs, but nothing more. The only hint of the yellow glow he had before was in his livid yellow irises. He slowly pushed himself up, off the forest ground. With one last glance at the river, the boy began walking.

 

-

 

Dipper Pines enjoyed sleep. Really, he did. Particularly sleeping in on a lazy, relaxing Sunday morning. His sister, Mabel, however, had other plans.

She jumped straight on his bed, causing the frame to squeak slightly in protest. "Dipper, Dipper, Grunkle Stan and Ford and I are all going to the Greasy Diner for breakfast! We wanted to know if you'd like to come!"

All while she spoke, Mabel shook Dipper's shoulder violently. Knowing he'd have a bruise later that day, Dipper playfully swatted her hand away. "Sure, Mabel, just get out so I can change," he replied groggily.

Mabel pouted slightly, but abided by Dipper's wishes.

 

As expected (and actually bet upon by their Grunkles), Dipper and Mabel had separate rooms once they hit sixteen.

 

Dipper loved his sister, but he also loved his privacy. 

That's not the only thing.. Dipper recalled grimly.

 

Lately he'd been having strange and unusual dreams about a boy his age, a boy who literally glowed.

He figured it was residue of when Stanford had taken him out on adventures.

However, the more he looked into it, the less he believed any of their previous encounters could have caused such strange dreams.

 

He planned on speaking with Ford about this, but the man always seemed so busy with his studies or connecting with Mabel or spending time with Stan.

Dipper didn't feel like he deserved to take up much time with Ford.

 

He dressed in a simple white tank top and dark blue plaid shirt, accompanied by slimming brown jeans and black boots.

He slid on his signature pine tree hat and grabbed his bag before heading downstairs.

 

Between Mabel and him, he had decided to stay up in the attic while Mabel slept in a room downstairs.

 

"Hey, Dipper," Stan greeted him, dressed for their outing as well. He wore a short sleeved, washed out red shirt under a dark grey hoodie. His legs were covered by a slightly torn up pair of blue jeans and his feet protected by a pair of sneakers that had definitely seen better days.

Instead of the fez he had all those years ago when he was Mr. Mystery, he wore a fitting red beanie.

 

Dipper thought it looked really good on his Grunkle.

 

"Oh, hi," he replied,"Where's Ford and Mabel?"

Stan rolled his eyes, though his smile showed he wasn't irritated at the two disappearances.

"Mabel's actually dressing him today," Stan answered.

Dipper paused for a moment, but gave into the idea.

"I'm glad to see they're getting closer," Dipper mumbled, Stan nodding in agreement.

 

When Ford finally came out, Dipper was shocked.

Mabel had, as always, outdone herself.

 

Ford wore a slimming button-down light blue shirt that made his blue irises sparkle, and had an old but fitting pair of deep brown jeans on. In place of his beaten-down boots were the pair of dress shoes Mabel and Dipper had given him for Christmas last year. His usually messy hair was combed, and even his glasses seemed to sparkle brilliantly. 

 

"You look----"

Dipper and Stan said at the same time, but stopped out of embarrassment.

Stan was the first to recover,"Mabel, you did a good job, sweetie. Ford.. you look.."

"Different," Dipper finished, but hastily added,"A-a good different!"

 

Ford smiled, his face a little pink.

 

Mabel rolled her brown eyes,"Alrighty, girls, let's get this thing on the road!"

 

-

 

Dipper never realized how much he had missed the Greasy Diner.

 

The food tasted exceptionally well that morning, and they were able to catch up with the locals they had longed to during the school year.

Stan and Ford swapped stories of their adventures at sea, one in particular catching the younger twins' interest.

 

"----And so there I was," Grunkle Stan explained feverishly, his tale woven expertly,"with Ford, on the verge of the cliff. Just below us were these gigantic snake-lion-pig thingys---" 

Ford cut in,"They were chimeras, Stanley."

"----Chimeras, right. Well, anyway, we were trapped between the abyss of the chimeras and the oncoming avalanche!"

Several locals and tourists in the diner alike turned towards Stan now, enraptured in his thrilling tale.

 

"---I thought all was lost," Stan continued,"I thought for sure Ford and me were gonna die that night.."

Ford rolled his eyes, partly immersed in his pancakes slathered in powder, syrup, and strawberries.

"But we made it!" Stan declared.

Ford rolled his eyes once more,"Obviously."

Stan nudged him playfully.

 

"But how, Grunkle Stan?! How did you do it?!" Mabel questioned excitedly.

 

"Well, sweetie," Stan happily answered,"I just remembered that in my pocket I carried the Christmas gift you gave me."

Mabel's eyes glowed,"The grappling hook?!"

 

Stan nodded,"The grappling hook, though I do like yours better, 'cause of all the stickers and such. But, anyways, there I had it! I grabbed the grappling hook with one hand, Ford with the other-----"

As their Grunkle paused for dramatic effect, Ford looked like he was about to groan in exasperation.

Dipper wouldn't understand until Stan finished the story.

 

"-----And launched all the way back to the Stan o' War II! Ford screamed like a little girl!!!"

Stan, Mabel, and much of the people who had been listening in had laughed at that last bit.

 

Ford blushed furiously.

As the laughter died down, Dipper inquired,"What happened after you made it back to the ship, Grunkle Stan?"

 

Stan had a slight smirk on his lips that he barely managed to hide.

 

Ford's blush grew deeper.

 

"That's a story for another time, kid," Stan answered.

 

Dipper smiled, as Stan had still kept his nickname of 'kid,' even though Mabel and him were both eighteen now.

 

He was glad his Grunkle hadn't changed.

 

However, he would soon learn that the dreams and eerie feeling he got when he looked out into the forest hadn't changed, either.


	2. Amaranthine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we're introduced to the dream demon himself. (I KNOW he's not a demon in this, not really, but I just love saying that!)
> 
> What awaits Dipper once he meets someone so intriguing?
> 
> Trouble, that's for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um.. not very much to say on this one, other than I love the six kudos I got.
> 
> I try.  
> Kinda.
> 
> Also, maybe some minor Stancest again. 
> 
> Sorry.

It was hot.

Boiling, in fact.

Droplets of sweat slithered down his face as he wandered aimlessly in the forest.

The trees looked so different, with small little creatures inside of them.

The boy had seen a little man earlier, with a pointy red hat and funny little beard.

The boy wanted to ask him where he was, who he was, and why he was here. But the most he got out of the funny little man was 'Shmebulock'.

He had tried to say it, wondered if it was how the creatures he'd seen spoke. However, every time he tried to find his voice, it never came.

 

The boy reached a clearing in the forest, his yellow eyes set upon a small house.

Do funny creatures live in there? He thought.

Continuing forward, the boy stumbled into the small habitat.

Greeted by many other funny-looking people, he realized these creatures looked like him.

A few heads turned his way, before quickly turning back to the one creature that was speaking.

This creature was much larger than himself, but seemed very friendly.

The boy wanted to get closer, but all the other creatures were blocking his way. He contemplated biting them to get through, but somehow felt that wasn't an appropriate action to take.

Still, he thought back to how he couldn't say their possible word of greeting, 'Shmebulock,' and promptly bit on a slim-looking creature that wore pink fur on its chest.

The creature cried out in pain, speaking in some language unfamiliar to him.

Spooked, the boy stepped backwards and the creature advanced on him.

 

His eyes glanced to the way he came in and he thought about racing out of there, before the larger creature appeared. It said something in the same language to the pink creature, and it calmed down. 

It made its way to the boy, and he backed up further. 

 

This is the end, he thought.

 

 

-

 

Mabel was enthusiastically chatting with Ford as she drove them back to the Shack about a recent endeavor she and Candy had done.

 

Ford laughed, the sound filling up the car over the pop song that played (since Mabel was driving, it was the rule that she picked the music).

She beamed at him, continuing her story,"And so, I guess you'd think, Candy was never allowed near confetti again!"

 

Grunkle Stan sat in the back, his and Dipper's seats spaced apart by the middle one.

 

Stan had started snoring, signaling to everyone else that he had long since fallen asleep.

Mabel's smile softened, as did Ford's expression.

 

"I think he really liked how you looked this morning," Mabel murmured rather quietly, uncharacteristic of her. However, that didn't throw Ford off in the least. If anything, their second Grunkle seemed happier.

"You really think so?"

Mabel squeezed his shoulder gently,"I do."

 

Dipper was slightly taken aback, as he had never seen this vulnerable side to Ford before.

However, he was far too distracted by the humongous crowd of tourists that gathered around the Mystery Shack as they pulled in. 

 

"Uh.." Mabel began. Dipper nodded, agreeing with her confusion.

"Well, I mean.." she pointed out,"I know Soos is really good as Mr. Mystery, but.. I don't think there should be that many tourists here.."

Ford nodded this time. "You two go in, I'll wake Stan up."

 

They left, Mabel leaving the keys with Ford to lock the car after the two residents had left.

 

Upon entering the Shack, the two twins were definitely not expecting what they would find.

 

Angry and curious tourists alike surrounded Soos, most pointing or making comments about something behind him.

"Y'know, I love that Soos is like a teddy bear, but I wish he was smaller right now so we could see what all the buzz is about," Mabel told her brother.

Dipper agreed, of course.

Soos, being the amazing Mr. Mystery he is, easily played off the problem as if it was an actual attraction on the tour.

Dipper and Mabel quickly caught on to the Mr. Mystery façade, since they had been around enough tours to know the mannerisms of it.

Only catching bits and pieces due to the large crowd, Dipper pieced together that it must be a foreigner. Possibly not even from the States, he toyed with the thought.

 

Before further inspection and theory could be thought of, though, Stan and Ford entered.

Stan still seemed a little tired, but was attentive nonetheless.

Dipper didn't miss the lines of worry on his other Grunkle's face, though.

A few minutes passed, and the tourists bought into whatever lie Soos had told them. 

The tour continued on like normal.

 

Thankfully, the four of them arrived with superb timing, since the tour was only ten minutes away from ending.

 

They would get their explanation then.

 

 

-

 

There was so much noise. 

The boy hated it, it gave him a bitter taste in his mouth and made his head throb in pain.

 

Luckily, the large creature protected him from the scarier ones.

Whatever the creature did, it saved the boy.

That much he knew.

He also knew that, to draw away the other's attention, the large creature had placed him in another part of the strange habitat.

He felt safe in this part.

 

The noise that came from the big rock wasn't nearly as bad as the noise he had been subjected to earlier.

 

He still wished he could understand their language, though.

 

-

 

The ten minutes were up, the tourists left, and now the five made their way to the living room.

 

Something about the entire situation made Dipper feel anxious. Suddenly he was that wide-eyed, paranoid little twelve-year-old from all those years ago.

 

He tried to push the rush of exhilaration and fear down, though, as he entered the living room to see the cause of the commotion.

 

Right as he saw the cause, however, his breath caught in his chest.

His heartbeat quickened as he surveyed the shirtless boy sitting on the couch in front of him.

He had lovely, messy blonde hair with a black undercut. His skin was very fair, and his jeans a little too tight.

Dipper felt like imploding on himself most, though, when the boy's yellow eyes met his own.

 

"Hey, earth to Dip-dop!" Mabel snapped him out of it.

"You okay, bro-bro?" She felt his forehead,"You feel hot, and your face is red."

 

Dipper realized he was blushing and quickly coughed in his hand to try to hide it.

"I-I'm fine, Mabel, it's just the summer heat," he said off-handedly.

She gave him a concerned frown in response, replying with,"Maybe you ought to sit down, Dipper."

He shook his head in disagreement, since being close to the other boy was the last thing he needed right now.

 

"So, Soos, what's with the kid?" Stan asked.

Soos frowned in the boy's direction,"A-actually, Mr. Pines.. I don't really know. I mean, one minute he entered the Shack while I was giving a tour, the next he bit this poor woman." 

Ford and Stan exchanged a worried glance. "Does he speak English?" Ford asked.

Soos glanced at the boy,"I-I don't think so.. I tried to get him to tell me his name, age, where he's from.. But he didn't talk. Just..stared at me. Honestly, I found it a bit creepy."

"Let me try," Ford suggested.

For the next half hour, Ford went through every language he knew.

 

Unfortunately, not one worked.

Ford sighed, crossing his arms.

Dipper could tell he was frustrated. "Great Uncle Ford, why don't you take a break?"

 

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted.

Dipper swung his gaze to her, startled.

"Look! He's staring at you when you talk!"

Dipper glanced at the boy. "And?" 

"And," Mabel snapped,"maybe he'll say something to you!"

Ford grinned at her,"Mabel, my dear, you're a genius!"

Mabel glowed under the praise, but Dipper felt a growing sensation in his stomach. A very bad sensation.

 

"Okay. I'll do it."


	3. Verdigris.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are figured out, but how much more is Dipper willing to know about this strange boy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So..  
> This is the last part to this three-piece fic. I hope those of you who read enjoyed it, and..
> 
> Hopefully I didn't bore you to death or anything.
> 
> Oh, there's also big words in this chapter. Blame science. ;-;
> 
> Also, fair warning that I am definitely NOT representing folklore correctly in this chapter, and I hope I don't offend anyone for my inaccuracy.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for leaving kudos and reading!

When he first saw the Pine Tree creature, he felt a connection.

He badly wanted to ask the Pine Tree's name, to touch him, to speak to him.

But alas, his voice was missing.

 

As the other creatures conversed, his gaze remained on the Pine Tree.

He was a curious creature indeed.

The one who looked similar to him appeared to be friendly, such as the larger creature did.

The elder two, as it looked to the boy, seemed concerned.

 

The one with blue fur bent down near him and began to speak in different tongues. None of which, to his dismay, did he understand.

 

He hadn't looked at the large or old creature when they tried to speak to him, for fear of angering them further.

Guilt grasped his mind at remembering the pink creature.

He hadn't meant to startle it so badly, he just needed to see the larger creature.

 

As they seemed to reach an agreement, the boy noticed the Pine Tree creature seemed uncertain.

 

No matter, what, though.. the boy was determined to speak to the Pine Tree.

 

-

 

This was a terrible idea. 

There was absolutely no guarantee it would work.

That's what Dipper kept telling himself as he made his way to the boy on the couch.

It's stupid. 

The thoughts continued until he stood only a few steps away from the blonde.

Maybe Ford could try again?

 

The blonde's gaze was locked on the floor, his posture tense.

Dipper sucked in a deep breath.

Here goes, he finally decided.

"Hey," Dipper began, then wanted to slap himself for it.

Ford and Mabel gave him encouraging looks and a thumbs-up from their place off to the side.

"Um.. I'm Dipper," he introduced himself,"Can..can you tell me where you're from?"

The only response Dipper received was a slight shifting of the boy's foot. 

"Are..are you from around here?"

Still, no answer. It seemed like the boy wasn't even aware of Dipper's presence.

 

So, the brown-haired adult decided to switch tactics. Voice softening, Dipper spoke,"Listen, we're..not going to hurt you, okay?"

The boy's expression changed from confused to slightly relieved.

Dipper continued,"We just want to help you.. Um.. We need to know if you can speak.."

The boy tilted his head to the side a little.

"We can't help you if you don't say something," Dipper whispered.

 

At this, the boy lifted his head. His expression one of fiery determination, he said,"Shmebulock."

 

-

 

"It's a start," Ford said, tinkering with some machine.

 

After the boy had said that one word, Ford raced down to the basement to begin working on something that would help the boy understand English.

Dipper had followed him, wary of staying near the blonde.

Sadly, his mind kept recalling the determined look on the boy's face.

"He's not human, not completely," Dipper pointed out.

Ford nodded in agreement,"You're right about that, my boy. He's not, otherwise he would've understood at least one of those otherworldly tongues I was speaking in. But..oh, could you hand me a wrench?"

Dipper complied, shortly after asking,"But what..?"

Ford fixed some loose bolt,"But, I need to get a proper scan of his biological components. Then, I can figure out what he is and mix up an elixir for him to understand us."

Dipper, even after all this time, was still at a loss for the sheer genius that was Ford.

"You can really do that?" Dipper knew it was a stupid question, but he still needed confirmation of such a tedious and risky action.

"Yes. I'll need your help, though."

Dipper smiled,"Thanks, Great Uncle----"

Before Dipper could choke out his Grunkle's name, a shout came from the elevator,"DIPPER! FORD! GET IN HERE!"

Dipper's stomach dropped at the tone of Mabel's voice, and both men quickly rushed back upstairs.

 

Upon entering the living room, everything seemed surreal.

The boy from earlier, who had had fair skin and the appearance of a regular eighteen-year-old, now quite literally glowed.

 

Several possibilities as to why this was flashed through Dipper's head, taking him off guard nearly just as much as seeing the boy glowing had.

Before he could voice any of these, though, Ford was racing back to the basement.

"Dipper! I need the calculations for the machine! Quickly!"

Dipper moved quickly, and soon the two reappeared in the living room.

"Mabel, turn off all the lights in this room," Ford ordered.

She did so, leaving the boy as the only light source.

He looked with his even brighter yellow eyes to Dipper, asking,"Shmebulock?"

Dipper attempted to give him a reassuring smile, not sure how well it would register.

As soon as Ford switched on the machine to scan the boy, the boy leapt up in fear.

Acting on instinct, Dipper rushed over to him,"It's alright, it's okay. We're not gonna hurt you."

The boy looked up at him fearfully. At this proximity, the glow hurt Dipper's eyes.

He closed them briefly, but they quickly flew open once he felt an added weight to his torso.

He glanced down to see the boy snuggled in his chest, his arms wrapped around Dipper.

His eyes were closed, and the light around him seemed to dim to a low glow.

"That's great, Dipper," Ford whispered.

At the sound of Ford's voice, however, the boy's dim glow turned into a blinding one. The tips of the yellow light actually grew into a purple and red color, and one of Dipper's theories had been proven.

"Great Uncle Ford, I think his light is changing colors based on his emotions," Dipper prompted.

Ford simply gave a curt nod, enough for Dipper to understand that if he were to say anything, the boy might get more frightened.

"Try coaxing him," Mabel whispered.

Dipper hesitated, so his sister added,"Just long enough for Grunkle Ford to get a good reading."

Dipper obliged, raising his hand slowly.

Speaking smoothly, he murmured,"I really like the way you glow."

He felt silly doing so, but he kept using sweet words and hoped the boy would at least know the tone of Dipper's voice.

 

Dipper tentatively touched the boy's hair, but drew his hand away as soon as the boy yanked his head back.

His gaze curious, however, the boy leaned back into Dipper's hand.

Dipper, rather unsteadily, raked his fingers gently through the boy's glowing hair.

"In all my adventures, I've never seen a..never seen someone like you," he continued to coax.

"Good," Mabel encouraged him.

 

"It's actually rather amazing," Dipper whispered, a wave of nostalgia hitting him,"I've met gnomes, sea monsters, unicorns, merpeople, multi-bears, manotaurs, even a few demons. But never anything like you."

The boy leaned happily back up into Dipper's hand at a particularly nice brush of his hair.

 

"I almost can't believe that after six years, there's still so many anomalies I don't know about. That's why I envy Ford," Dipper said, then realized his words.

Shooting a fearful glance at Ford, he worried if he had crossed some sort of line. Granted, he hadn't meant to say that at all, but now it was out there.

Ford gave him a nod, a signal to continue.

Dipper supposed they'd speak about it later.

 

After all, his words seemed to be relaxing the boy, and that's all that Ford would need to scan him.

 

So, rather uncertainly, Dipper continued to talk,"He's just seen so much, y'know? I.. I really look up to him. Him and Stan and Mabel.."

The cloud of emotions took him over again, and the filter on his words were lost,"I like to think I'm lucky to have them. It's funny, too, because anywhere else, I'd be picked on for this.."

Dipper revealed his Little Dipper birthmark, the boy glancing up at it.

"It's also funny that all the anomalies I've come across, even the particularly nasty ones, not once made fun of it."

As he spoke, he saw the boy's hand trace over the birthmark.

The hand glowed, too.

 

"I think it has to do with this sort of..unspoken rule that's with all anomalies and myself, along with Ford."

At the mention of Ford, the boy turned his gaze to him and must have noticed his abnormality of six fingers, since he glanced down at his own.

"It makes me feel better, but also sad, since some teachers at school and some of my classmates think it's weird," Dipper muttered.

Then, the boy stood up one his tiptoes and did the unthinkable: he kissed Dipper's birthmark.

 

He wasn't sure how long had passed when Ford spoke,"We have everything we need. I'll run the scans in the basement and we should get the results by morning. If everything goes correctly and Mabel and I are able to acquire all the proper ingredients, we should have the elixir by afternoon tomorrow."

 

Dipper nodded, ready to rejoin Ford and help in any way possible.

 

As he went to leave, however, he felt a tug on his hand.

He glanced back at the boy, who asked of him,"Shmebulock?"

He pointed at the couch in reference.

Mabel glanced at the two,"Dipper, I think he wants you to stay with him. It's the least we can give him after the day he's had."

She did have a point.

"I'll help Grunkle Ford, okay?"

Dipper nodded,"Thanks, Mabel."

Even he had to admit to himself that he was exhausted from the day they had.

 

It came as a surprise to no one when Dipper fell asleep ten minutes after sitting on the couch.

Well, no one except for the boy.

 

-

 

The boy was a mage.

Particularly, in the way he glowed after sunset.

Dipper had done his research after that, and learned that this boy was a light mage.

The reasoning behind his glowing had to do with protection, source of light, and living.

If he ever were to die, he would never glow again.

As Dipper also found out, however, mages can live for a long, long time. 

 

In either case, mages that were born without accessibility to human contact often didn't understand the language.

The fact that the boy was able to say the gnome's name in the first place was a miracle in Dipper and Ford's eyes.

He also learned that the glow dims at sunrise due to the source of light and safety returning.

The glow can dim if the mage is tired, dying, or relaxed.

It changes color based upon their emotion.

Purple is fear, red anger. Pink is happiness, green is sickness or revulsion, yellow is normal, white is love, and black is hate.

Dipper assumed that the boy had, in fact, been scared last night. 

And probably pissed that he couldn't speak our language, too, Dipper thought.

 

Mages were, in fact, known to be rather frustrated if they couldn't understand something. A big fuel for frustration would be, as Dipper found out, if they couldn't communicate.

They also are able to take the form of humans, and they often do. They can become whatever they're able to do, such as the boy could become pure light if he wished.

That's why mages were next to untraceable, Dipper had realized when he spoke with Ford about this new information.

Even Ford had seen a mage only once, and even then it was brief.

He told Dipper that they usually kept to themselves and we're highly secretive, which was not really how the boy was like.

Because he, as both men guessed, was never around humans, he had trouble understanding them, but both agreed that the boy had grown attached to Dipper most.

"Mabel actually tried to feed him this morning," Ford said, as he gathered the elixir ingredients to mix.

"Really?" Dipper inquired.

"Yes, although she didn't realize that they only eat a special kind of fruit that grows deep in the forest," Ford replied, chopping something that puffed out glitter.

"Does human food hurt them?"

Ford placed the glittery ingredient in a bowl,"Generally, no. Some things they ought to stray from, like caffeine. There's no telling what would happen there. Possibly, the worst thing, however, would be alcohol."

Dipper tried to imagine different scenarios of the boy consuming alcohol, and was not happy at the content of those images.

"But no need to worry about that, my boy," he reassured Dipper,"This will be ready in an hour or so, and then we can give it to him."

Dipper was ready to ask the question that had been burning in his mind since the elixir plan was made,"Great Uncle Ford, I know he'll be able to understand us, but.. will he be able to speak?"

To his utter disappointment, his Grunkle shrugged,"The likelihood is more in favor of him speaking, yes, since he was able to say Shmebulock's name, but.. there's always a chance he might not be able to."

Dipper nodded, Ford adding,"It is a little more important that he fully understands us and says nothing, rather than understanding little and saying something."

 

Dipper, however reluctantly, did agree with his Grunkle's words.

 

-

 

The boy had just downed the elixir.

Dipper ignored the heat of his face at watching him down so much liquid, his head tilted back and all, in just one swallow.

 

Ford nudged Dipper slightly, and the younger of the two men realized this was his cue,"Right, right.."

Taking a deep breath, Dipper approached the boy.

 

He sat down next to him, cleared his throat, and asked,"What is your name?"

 

The boy looked confused for a moment, and Dipper felt his whole body wracked with dread at the thought of this plan failing.

He was about to ask if the boy had understood his question, when a voice stopped him.

 

"My..name.."

The boy locked his gaze in Dipper's.

 

 

"Is Bill Cipher."

 

 

 

Fin.


End file.
